Reuters/Ipsos poll: Majority says U.S. on wrong track

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A large majority of Americans say the United States is on the wrong track and nearly half believe the worst is yet to come, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.

The poll reflects growing anxiety about the economy and frustration with Washington after a narrowly averted government default, a credit rating downgrade by Standard & Poor’s, a stock market dive and a 9.1 percent jobless rate.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll — conducted from last Thursday to Monday — found 73 percent of Americans believe the United States is “off on the wrong track,” and just one in five, 21 percent, think the country is headed in the right direction.

The survey found that 47 percent believe “the worst is yet to come” in the U.S. economy, an increase of 13 percentage points from a year ago when this question was last raised.

President Barack Obama was politically bruised in the brutal debt ceiling debate and negative views on the economy are worrisome signs for his 2012 re-election bid. His approval rating dropped to 45 percent from 49 percent a month ago.

Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said the wrong-track measure reflects widespread unhappiness with the economy and frustration at both political parties, but “you can’t say it’s a predictor of how Obama will fare” in 2012.

A new Washington Post poll on Wednesday underscores just how angry Americans are the state of the economy and Washington’s seeming inability to do anything about it. “Anger at Washington has been growing for some time, but the latest political battle has resulted in an intensification of the discontent,” The Washington Post reports.

According to the newspaper’s poll, a majority of Americans oppose the debt ceiling compromise.

Here are a few more highlights:

Nearly 75 percent of Americans have little or no confidence in Washington to fix the economy

Nearly 80 percent are dissatisfied with the way the political system is working

when your president’s last 50 speeches focuses on class warfare, what do you expect the country to think?
Until the great wealth re-distributor stops with the “their fair share” sideshow, don’t expect Americans to take him seriously.
He spent $1.4 trillion more than we took in this year and his answer for this is to push a tax on the rich that will bring in $40 billion.

When the right complains about “class warfare,” it’s evidence of lazy thinkers who are feeling desperate. If they are worried about class envy pitting groups against one another, they probably ought to re-read their own proposals. The Republican plan does impose huge sacrifices on the poor and the middle class, while cutting taxes on the rich and corporations. All in all, the terms “class warfare” and “corporate welfare” apply nicely to conservative proposals. As to the math, taxes on the rich need to be raised, and significantly more than the measely 3% that Republicans were willing to crash the economy to prevent.

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Night desk reporter in the Washington Bureau. Holds a Masters degree in Interactive Journalism and currently working on merging new media skills with old media experience. Prior to joining Reuters, worked in broadcasting at two other international wire services (which I won't name here). A perpetual piano student, and not very good, which is perfect for my secret ambition -- lounge piano player.